message_queue.h

/* Adapted from
www.justsoftwaresolutions.co.uk/threading/implementing-a-thread-safe-queue-using-condition-variables.html
*/

#include <queue>
#include <mutex>
#include <condition_variable>

template<typename MessageType>
class message_queue
{
 public:
  
  void push(MessageType const& message)
  {
    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(the_mutex);
    the_queue.push(message);
    lock.unlock();
    the_condition_variable.notify_one();
  }

  bool empty() const
  {
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(the_mutex);
    return the_queue.empty();
  }

  bool try_pop(MessageType& popped_value)
  {
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(the_mutex);
    if(the_queue.empty())
      {
	return false;
      }
        
    popped_value=the_queue.front();
    the_queue.pop();
    return true;
  }

  void wait_and_pop(MessageType& popped_value)
  {
    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(the_mutex);
    while(the_queue.empty())
      {
	the_condition_variable.wait(lock);
      }
        
    popped_value=the_queue.front();
    the_queue.pop();
  }

 private:
  std::queue<MessageType> the_queue;
  mutable std::mutex the_mutex;
  std::condition_variable the_condition_variable;

};